Boarding form for ladies&#39; stockings



C. A. BERRY Dec. 5, 19@? BOARDING FORM FOR LADIES STOCKINGS Filed Dec. 5, 1966 INVENTOR. BERRY CLYDE A.

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,356,272 BOARDING FORM FOR LADIES STOCKINGS Clyde A. Berry, Valdese, N.C., assignor to Pilot Research Corporation, Valdese, N.C.,' a corporation of North Carolina Filed Dec. 5, 1966, Ser. No. 599,281 6 Claims. (Cl. 22375) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLGSURE A boarding form for bonding stretchable tube-type stockings and which is constructed without any heel portion to avoid irregular distortion of the stitches in the foot and ankle portions of the stocking.

This invention relates to a boarding form for ladies stockings and more particularly, to a boarding form for forming stretchable, tube-type stockings knit of thermoplastic yarns wherein the stockin s may be heat-set into a desired configuration suitable for fitting a wide range of foot sizes.

Ladies seamless, non-stretchable tube-type stockings, i.e., those characterized by the absence of a knit heel pocket therein, have become popular in recent years. These stockings are produced to cover a full range of foot and leg sizes by knitting substantially straight cylindrical tubes, without a heel pocket, and thereafter closin g the bottom or toe portion of the tubes by sewing. The tubular stockings are then placed on conventional boarding forms, i.e., those having a narrow ankle area and a foot shape with a distinct heel portion therein, which are sized correspondingly to the size stockings to be produced. A distinct heel and foot shape is then set into the stocking by conventional heat treatment.

In recent years, ladies stretchable seamless stockings produced of torque yarns have also become quite popular because of their ability to readily conform to the leg of the wearer and fit several leg and foot sizes. These stockings are produced with reciprocatorily knit heel pockets and are subsequently boarded on forms similar to a conventional boarding form except for the provision of a reduced foot size, or so-called club foot. The reciprocatorily knit heel pocket provides a definite bulge in the stocking, which bulge cooperates with the reduced foot size to prevent excessive stretching in the foot and ankle portion when the stocking is drawn on the boarding form, which excessive stretching would otherwise eliminate the stretchable nature of the stocking when subjected to heat- .setting temperatures. In utilizing such a club foot, it is still necessary to knit and board these stretchable stockings in three different sizes (usually small, medium and large) to cover the complete stocking size range since setting of the club foot into the stocking limits the amount of stretchability in the foot area.

When attempts have been made to form a stretchable, tubular knit stocking, i.e., one without a heel pocket therein, problems have been encountered in boarding the stockings on the present conventional and club foot boardin-g forms. The normal manner of boarding the tubes on a conventional form is to stretch the tube downwardly on the boarding form over the upwardly extending heel and toe portions to reference marks adjacent the upper thigh portion at the lower end of the form. Since there is no heel pocket in stretchable knit tubes to serve as a reference point, almost all of the stretch is pulled out of the foot portion, particularly in the area of the tube surrounding the protruding heel of the form. When a stretch tubular stocking so boarded is heat-set, the highly stretched fabric over the heel portion has little or no stretch which can be retained in the product, thus resultr ing in a stocking undesirable from the standpoint of fit and wear. For this reason, conventional boarding forms having a heel portion are not satisfactory for tubular type stretch stockings.

Although the boarding of tubular stretch stockings on the club foot form can eliminate some of the excessive stretching in the foot portion of the stockings drawn on the form, it would still be necessary to knit and board stockings in at least three different sizes to cover the full size range of stockings, since the club foot shape limits the size foot which can be accommodated, as has been previously explained.

With the foregoing in mind, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a boarding form for tubular heelless ladies stretchable stockings which permits boarding of the stockings without irregular stretch in the foot, heel, and ankle areas of the same.

It is a further object to provide a boarding form for ladies tubular stretch stockings which permits the knitting and forming of a tubular stretch stocking in a single size sufficient to fit the entire normal range of leg and foot sizes.

It is an additional object to provide a boarding form for ladies stretch tubular stockings which permits boarding at a high production rate with resultant high quality and decreased cost of producing such stockings.

It is a more specific object to provide a heelless boarding form having a substantially straight foot and ankle shaping portion to insure uniform stretch of stockings boarded thereon, while providing sufiicient additional shape-imparting features in the form to facilitate proper orientation of the stocking during placement on a wearers leg.

The boarding form of this invention is characterized by the absence of the usual shaped heel projection of the form and the provision of a foot and ankle portion of essentially straight side edges which extend substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the boarding form and terminate in a contoured toe portion. By providing a substantially straight foot and ankle portion while maintaining a contoured toe and leg portion, tubular stretch stockings can be quickly boarded and heat-set without distortion or irregular stretching and quickly and properly oriented for donning by the wearer. In eliminating the heel portion of the form, the length and shape of the foot of the wearer shapes the hosiery fabric into the particular foot and heel configuration when the stocking is worn, resulting in comfortable fit over the entire range of foot sizes even though the stocking has no permanently shaped heel.

The present invention may best be described by reference to the foregoing drawings, in which- FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of the heelless boarding form of the present invention, and

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view, on reduced scale, of the opposite side of the boarding form as seen in FIG- URE 1.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, FIGURES 1 and 2 show a boarding form of the present invention comprising a thin, rigid elongate plate 11 constructed of suitable heat resistant material, such as aluminum, and having a toe-forming portion, generally indicated at A; a foot and ankle-forming portion, generally indicated at B; and a leg-forming portion, generally indicated at C. As can be seen in FIGURE 1, the foot and ankle portion B is of substantially the same length as the leg-forming portion C.

A side edge 12 of the plate, which shapes the front of a stocking placed thereon, is straight throughout both the foot and ankle portion B and the leg portion C. The opposite or back side edge 13 is straight and substantially parallel to side edge 1?. throughout the foot and ankle portion B of the plate, and diverges from edge 12 over the leg portion C of the plate. As seen, the diverging portion of edge 13 is preferably sinuous in a manner to generally conform the rear of a stocking placed thereon to the shape of the calf and back thigh of a wearers leg.

The toe-forming portion A of the plate has a convexly curved end edge 14 which connects the side edges 12 and 13, and defines the shape of a compound curve. The outermost point 15 of the curved edge is asymmmetrically arranged closer to edge 12 which shapes the front portion of the stocking than to edge 13 which shapes the rear portion of the stocking in order to facilitate proper orientation of the stocking when it is to be donned by a wearer. The outermost point 15 of the curve also defines the end of the toe of the stocking and facilitates proper fit.

The plate 11 includes an additional portion, generally indicated by the letter D, which is defined by a continuation of the side edges 12 and 13 and, as seen, is of substantially uniform width throughout. A plurality of substantially parallel lines 19 are transversely inscribed on the additional portion D and serve as indicia to indicate terminal points for the open end of the stocking drawn onto the form.

The extreme lower end of portion D of the plate has an irregularly shaped edge 21 and is provided with a pair of apertures 22 and a slot 23 to facilitate mounting of the plate on a conventional support device, such as a conveyor for transporting the boarding forms into a heatsetting of treating chamber.

Although the dimensions of the boarding form may be varied somewhat, depending on the degree of shrinkability of the yarn in the tube and the amount of stretchability desired in the final stocking product, highly satisfactory tubular stretch stockings have been produced when the width throughout the straight foot and ankle portion of the form is approximately four inches and the width w (FIGURE 1) taken at the mid length of the leg portion is approximately six inches.

In operation and use, the boarding form of the present invention is generally supported in an upstanding position with the toe portion of the form uppermost as seen in FIGURES l and 2. To board a heelless tubular stocking on the form, the operator merely gathers the stocking adjacent the upper end of the form and draws the stocking quickly downwardly thereon, allowing it to freely locate itself and take the shape of the form as the open end of the stocking is located at a selected reference line 19 on the lower portion of the form. As can be appreciated, due to the uniform, substantially straight configuration of the foot and ankle portion of the form, the stocking is uniformly stretched throughout the foot and ankle portion so that, after being heat-set and removed, the stocking exhibits uniform appearance and stretch in the foot and ankle portions thereof, and closely conforms to the leg of a wearer when placed thereon. Additionally, by locating the outermost point of the curved toe portion of the form adjacent the front edge of the form and by providing a sinuous shape to the back portion of the leg thereof, proper orientation of the stocking is maintained during application to the leg of the wearer.

As is evident from the foregoing description, the heelless boarding form of the present invention permits the boarding of heelless tubular stretch stockings quickly and without distortion or irregular stretching of the stocking in the foot, heel, and ankle areas of the stocking and permits the use of a single size boarding form to board stretch stockings to fit the entire normal range of leg and foot sizes.

In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention and, although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

That which is claimed is:

1. A boarding form for forming heelless, tubular stretch stockings which permits the boarding of the stockings without irregular distortion of the stitches in the foot and ankle portions thereof, said form comprising a thin, rigid elongate plate having a toe-forming portion, a foot and ankle-forming portion, and a leg-forming portion, one side edge of said plate being straight throughout said foot and ankle and leg forming portions of said plate, the opposite side edge of said plate extending substantially parallel to said one side edge throughout said foot and ankleforming portion of said plate and a continuation thereof diverging from said one side edge throughout said legforming portion of said plate to define a leg-forming portion of substantially greater width than said foot and ankle forming portion, and a convexly-curved end edge connecting said one side edge and said opposite side edge to form said toe-forming portion of the boarding form.

2. A boarding form as defined in claim 1, wherein said opposite side edge diverges from said one side edge in a sinuous manner throughout said leg-forming portion of said plate, with the sinuosity thereof generally conforming to the calf and thigh portion of a wearers leg.

3. A boarding form as defined in claim 1, wherein the length of said foot and ankle-forming portion of said plate is approximately equal to the length of said le forming portion of said plate.

4. A boarding form as defined in claim 1, wherein said convexly-curved end edge of said plate defines a compound curve having its outermost point asymmetrically arranged closer to said one side edge than said opposite side edge.

5. A boarding form as defined in claim 1, wherein said plate includes an additional portion adjacent and extending beyond said leg-forming portion, said additional portion being defined by a continuation of said side edges extending substantially parallel to each other, and wherein said additional portion of said plate has a plurality of indicia inscribed thereon serving to visually indicate a terminal point for the open end of a stocking drawn onto the form.

6. A boarding form for forming heelless, tubular stretch stockings which permits the boarding of the stockings without irregular distortion of the stitches in the foot and ankle portion thereof, said form comprising a thin, rigid elongate plate having a toe-forming portion, a foot and ankle-forming portion, and a leg-forming portion, one side edge of said plate being straight throughout said foot and ankle and leg-forming portions of said plate, the opposite side edge of said plate extending substantially parallel to said one side edge throughout said foot and ankleforming portions of said plate and a continuation thereof diverging from said one side edge in a sinuous manner throughout said leg-forming portion to define a leg-forming portion of substantially greater width than said foot and ankle forming portion and in order to generally conform said leg-forming portion to the shape of calf and thigh portions of a wearers leg, and a convex, compoundly-curved end edge of said plate connecting said one side edge and said opposite side edge and having its outermost point asymmetrically arranged closer to said one side edge than said opposite side edge to form said toeforming portion of the boarding form.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,475,753 11/1923 Coulston 22375 1,698,388 1/1929 Brown 22375 X 2,661,877 12/1953 Albertson et a1 223-75 PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner.

G. V. LARKIN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A BOARDING FORM FOR FORMING HEELLESS, TUBULAR STRETCH STOCKINGS WHICH PERMITS THE BOARDING OF THE STOCKINGS WITHOUT IRREGULAR DISTORTION OF THE STITCHES IN THE FOOT AND ANKLE PORTIONS THEREOF, SAID FORM COMPRISING A THIN, RIGID ELONGATE PLATE HAVING A TOE-FORMING PORTION, A FOOT AND ANKLE-FORMING PORTION, AND A LEG-FORMING PORTION, ONE SIDE EDGE OF SAID PLATE BEING STRAIGHT THROUGHOUT SAID FOOT AND ANKLE AND LEG FORMING PORTIONS OF SAID PLATE, THE OPPOSITE SIDES EDGE OF SAID PLATE EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAID ONE SIDE EDGE THROUGHOUT SAID FOOT AND ANKLEFORMING PORTION OF SAID PLATE AND A CONTINUATION THEREOF DIVERGING FROM ONE SIDE EDGE THROUGHOUT SAID LEGFORMING PORTION OF SAID PLATE TO DEFINE A LEG-FORMING PORTION OF SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER WITH THAN SAID FOOT AND ANKLE FORMING PORTION, AND A CONVEXLY-CURVED END EDGE CONNECTING SAID ONE SIDE EDGE AND SAID OPPOSITE SIDE EDGE TO FORM SAID TOE-FORMING PORTION OF THE BOARDING FORM. 